Gastrointestinal health is a consistent concern among guardians of companion animals, including breeders and veterinarians. Stomach upset, refusal to ingest food, diarrhea, and the like can be distressing for the guardian and companion animal alike. Many currently available pet foods contain components which serve to enhance gastrointestinal health, however, it is recognized that not all guardians of companion animals choose to make these higher quality foods available to their companion animals Rather, many guardians are attracted to purchasing lower quality foods with the mindset that their companion animal will more readily enjoy the taste or appearance of such food.
Still further, many traditional forms of companion animal food are not completely consumed by the companion animal. As such, the animal may be lacking in basic nutritional requirements.
It is therefore necessary to seek developments which encourage guardians of companion animals to provide supplements to the ordinary dietetic intake of the companion animal Most recently, supplements such as gravies have been introduced to the marketplace. Many such supplements provide a wide variety of vitamins and minerals, as well as palatability aids such as animal meats and fats.
The present inventors provide herein compositions which are useful for enhancing the gastrointestinal health of companion animals. Such compositions may be readily accepted by guardians of companion animals which have not been previously fed high quality companion animal foods, or those which do utilize such high quality foods while still searching for added health benefit for their animal.